Friday, October 31, 2014

We send herewith copy of the letter from the Secretary, Staff Side, JCM intimating of the decision taken by the Staff Side to hold a National Convention at New Delhi on 11thDecember, 2014. We have already placed the said letter in our website. The decision is the outcome of the efforts the Confederation representatives in the Staff Side of the National council and must be considered a step in the right direction in pursuance of the Charter of demands, especially the important issues like wage revision, interim relief, merger of DA, scrapping of the new Pension scheme, privatization, outsourcing etc. As indicated in the letter of the Staff side Secretary, the staff side is likely to meet in the second fortnight of November, 2014 to finalize the draft declaration and the programme of action. We shall place the draft declaration on our website as and when the same is finalized.

Confederation is entitled to deploy 220 delegates to participate in the convention. We have decided to invite the Confederation of Central Government officers organizations also to participate in the convention. The quota of delegation for the major affiliates and State Committees are indicated in the table given below. All other affiliates and State Committee may deploy three delegates (each) to participate in the convention. The Convention is being held atMPCU Shah Auditorium, Sree Gurjarathi Samaj, Raj Niwas Road, Civil Lines(Opposite Civil Lines Metro Station), Delhi, The Convention will commence at 12 Noon and will be concluded by 4.00 PM on 11th December, 2014.

The timings have been so arranged to enable the comrades to reach in the morning of 11th and if necessary to return on the same day. The delegates are requested to make their own arrangements for stay etc,if they wish to be at Delhi earlier or later of the day of the convention. The venue is well connected by Metro Line and from the Civil Lines Station, it is walkable distance only. Kindly ensure that the tickets for onward and return journey for the participating delegates are booked well in advance.

The Minister for Communications & IT and Law and Justice World Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad will inaugurate the Postal Savings Banks Forum in New Delhi tomorrow. This year’s forum is being organised by World Savings and Retail Banking Institute (WSBI) jointly with the National Savings Organisation (Ministry of Finance) and the Department of Posts.

The theme of this year’s Postal Savings Banks Forum will be "The rising force of postal banking in the retail banking market".

The role of postal operators in the world of retail banking is often overlooked. Post Offices worldwide hold 1.6 billion savings and deposit accounts. This is second only to commercial banks, which hold about 2.5 billion accounts. Thus, post offices are critical to the pursuit of financial inclusion, which is recognised today as a vital pre-requisite to socio-economic development.

The Universal Postal Union estimates that several hundred million people, often without an account, use the Post to make and receive basic payment transactions such as domestic and international transfers, government payments and utility payments. Postal operators, in all their activities, have always relied on a business model based on large volumes and low costs. Combined with the universal service obligation through which the State gives the mandate to the Post to serve the entire population, these specific features make the Post a worthwhile ally in the fight against financial exclusion.

Financial inclusion brought about through the postal network is called postal financial inclusion. India has about 1.55 lakh post offices, which is more than the combined branch strength of commercial banks (about 1 lakh). The number of savings accounts held in post offices in India is about 31 crore, which is more than that of any commercial bank in the country. The postal network possesses excellent cash management abilities and is trusted for its governance practices. Thus India seems to have the right mix of ingredients to deliver concrete results in postal financial inclusion. Hence the WSBI Postal Savings Bank Forum is of considerable interest to the Banking Sector in India.

The Minister for Communications & IT and Law and Justice Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad has said that a group constituted by the Prime Minister consisting of the Secretary of the Postal department is looking into making of a financial institution for Postal savings. He was inaugurating the Postal Savings Banks Forum being organised by World Savings and Retail Banking Institute (WSBI), the National Savings Organisation of the Finance Ministry and the Department of Posts in New Delhi today. He said the present government wants to promote financial inclusion and the Jhan Dhan Yojana is a big effort in this direction. Another programme of the government of ‘Digital India’, which is steered by his ministry, also aims at digital inclusion and digital empowerment of rural poor.

Shri Prasad informed delegates from various countries that Post Office Savings Bank is one of the oldest and largest savings institution in the country and it also has the largest outreach in rural India, and more so, in backward and remote areas. The minister expressed happiness that the major asset of the postal institution, that is its connectivity on the ground is sought to be used for promoting e commerce in the country.

Secretary, Department of Posts Srimati Kavary Banerjee, in her key note address informed that the Department’s network of thousand post offices significantly out-numbers the combined number of branches of all commercial banks taken together.The post office savings schemes hold a total of 312 million accounts, which is more than the number of accounts held by any commercial bank. More importantly, the social sector disbursements done through the post offices have succeeded in bringing a total of about 80 million previously unbanked individuals into the fold of formal financial institutions in the last five years. All these have led to a change in the perception about the Post Office among the public as also within the organization. Consequently India Post is now perceived as a potential key facilitator of financial inclusion in the country, having a role in promoting the country’s socio-economic development, she added.

The theme of this year’s Postal Savings Banks Forum will be "The rising force of postal banking in the retail banking market".

New Delhi: The Task Force set up by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to leverage post office's network in the country in a bid to enhance the role of India Posts in the financial inclusion, among others, will submit its report by the end of this year, a top government official said on Wednesday.

Former Cabinet Secretary TSR Subramanian is the Chairman of the Task Force.

"The Task Force is working on the mandate provided to it by the government and it will submit its report by the end of the year," Banerjee told reporters on the sidelines of 2014 WSBI Postal Savings Banks Forum here.

The Terms of Reference (TOR) for the Task Force include providing an efficient postal network and points of presence (particularly in rural areas and small towns) both the government and private sector for delivering various citizen centric services, schemes, etc.

This is to further the role of Post Office in the financial inclusion, including Insurance products, to make Post Office financially viable among other objectives.

Earlier, inaugurating the annual event, Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said postal banks is an "exciting" idea and Prime Minister has set up a task force to study the ways in which post office can be transformed into engines of financial inclusion.

"Post offices in India, through their network of 1.55 lakh branches, can play a big role in not only expanding the ambit of eCommerce, but can also play an important role in financial inclusion," he added.

Banerjee said that today about 63 per cent of the revenues of India Post comes from savings, insurance and remittance services, and the remaining from mail and allied services.

Besides, the number of savings accounts held in post offices in India is over 31 crore, which is more than that of any commercial bank in the country, she added.

The theme of this year's Postal Savings Banks Forum is the rising force of postal banking in retail banking market.

The meeting of the Forum, that is taking place in the national capital, will discuss the role played by various postal departments in their respective countries in retail banking.

Sub: Early Closure of Offices on 30th October, 2014 in connection with the “Run for Unity” flag off at Vijay Chowk by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India.

In connection with the arrangements for the “Run for Unity” flag off at Vijay Chowk by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India on 31st October, 2014, it has been decided that the Government offices located in the buildings indicated in the Annexure I to this O.M would be closed early at 14:00 hrs. on 30th October, 2014 (Thursday) and will remain closed till 09.30 AM on 31st October, 2014 (Friday).

2. The buildings indicated in the Annexure II to this O.M would be closed early at 14:00 hrs. on 30th October, 2014 (Thursday) and will remain closed till 08.00 AM on 31st October, 2014.

3. Government offices located in Rashtrapati Bhawan and Parliament House would remain closed from 10.00 PM on 30th October, 2014 (Thursday) till 9.30 AM on 31st October, 2014 (Friday).

The undersigned is directed to say that Casual Labourers (Grant of Temporary Status & Regularisation), Scheme of Government of India, 1993, circulated vide DOPT OM No. 51016/2/90-Estt(C) dated 10.09.1993, stipulated conditions for grant of temporary status and regularization of services to the persons recruited on daily wage basis in the Central Government Offices as on 10.09.1993. It was held in the Mohan Pal Case SLP (Civil) No. 2224/2000 that the Scheme of 1-9-93 is not an ongoing Scheme and the temporary status can be conferred on the casual labourers under that Scheme only if they were inemployment on the date of the commencement of the scheme and they should have rendered continuous service of at least one year i.e. at least 240 days in a year or 206 days (in case of offices having 5 days a week). The Scheme inter-alia provided for regularization of CL-TS against Group `D’ posts.

2. Following the acceptance of the recommendation of the 6th CPC, all Group D posts have been upgraded to Group C posts. Recruitment to erstwhile Group `D’ posts placed in Group ‘C’, PB-1, Grade Pay ‘1800/- (non technical as MT Staff) is now made only through Staff Selection Commission and minimum educational qualification for appointment is Matriculation or ITI pass. Regularisation of CL-TS therefore cannot be done by theMinistries/ Departments on their own and requires relaxation of para-8 of the Appendix to the O.M. dated 10.09.1993.

3. This Department vide O.M No. 49011/31/2008-Estt(C) dated 17th February,2009 had requested all Ministries/ Department to provide information relating to CL-TS on their rolls. Information relating to 231 CL-TS was received from 29 Ministries/Departments which were processed. Since then this Department has been receiving proposals piece-meal from different

4. Department of Expenditure have now advised this Department that in order to avoid piece- meal examination of such proposals, a consolidated proposal for regularization of all such remaining CL-TS who were on the rolls of the Ministries/Departments on 10.09.1993 and yet could not be regularized may be forwarded to them for further consideration/examination. Therefore, all Ministries/Departments are requested to review the position at their establishments and send a consolidated proposals for regularization of services of such remaining CL-TS on their rolls (including attached/subordinate and autonomous bodies), if any, latest by 30.11.2014 to this Department in the enclosed format. It may be ensured that complete information in respect of the Ministry/Department and its Attached/Subordinate Offices is sent. The information may also be sent by e-mail(in MS Word) at dse@nic.in.

The Commission, headed by its Chairman, Justice Shri A. K. Mathur, proposes to visit Shimla, Himachal Pradesh from 12th to 13th November, 2014. The Commission would like to invite various entities/associations/federations representing any/all categories of employees covered by the terms of reference of the Commission to present their views.

Your request for a meeting with the Commission may be sent through e-mail to the Secretary, 7th Central Pay Commission at secy-7cpc@nic.in. The memorandum already submitted by the requesting entity may also be sent as an attachment with this e-mail.

The last date for receiving request for meeting is 7th Nov. 2014 (1700 hours).

Subject: Programme
of agitation from 28/08/2014 by Postal Joint Council of Action (PJCA)
comprising Unions/Associations affiliated to NFPE and FNPO- Charter of
Demands-Regarding.

Sir,

With reference to your letter No.
PF/PJCA/2014 dated 01/08/2014 on the above subject, it is intimated that your
Charter of Demands has been examined by the respective Divisions within the
framework of extant rules. Response of the Department is enclosed.